Sukhasana, by Nicole Wong
In the light of the recent fatwa of the Malaysian government on yoga, the debate on yoga and religion has surfaced again. Is yoga a religion? Is it an exercise form or a philosophical system? Is it compatible with other faiths and systems? Is it suitable for Westerners?
Let me start by saying that I do not consider myself an authority on yoga by any means. I have been practising on and off for over 20 years, learning mainly through books, televised lessons, and the odd gym variety classes. I have never been to a yoga centre or retreat, and I have never had a guru of any kind. So what I will be expressing over the next few days is just the take of a Western woman and practising Christian on the issue of yoga, developed strictly through personal experience.
The short answers:
No, both and either, yes, and yes.
The longer answers:
Yoga is no more a religion than music or dance. Like both those disciplines, it can be used in worship, in many faith systems; but calling it one’s religion is an exaggeration, and one of a rather juvenile cast.
Yoga is a lifestyle, and as such, it incorporates internal and external aspects. One can focus on the poses and breathwork, or on meditation and altered states of consciousness, or (try to) balance both. Who can say which approach is more valid? It’s your life, build it the way you want it, and if you want to pick and mix, there is no law against it.
Like most artistic and sportive disciplines, yoga started within a specific culture and belief system, gradually spilling over to others. It is interesting that, while its origins are in Hinduism, it seems, at least in the West, to be most firmly associated with Buddhism, or Sikhism in the special case of kundalini yoga. So we see a degree of multiculturality to start with. How far this can go, we will see in time.
The popularity of yoga in the West gives the lie to those who claim it is not suited to the Western lifestyle. Of course, many will protest that it is watered down to a form of exercise and nothing more, which is not true yoga at all. I agree, but it’s still a start. I believe in development from the outside inwards. The observable results are incentive to continue to not so observable levels.
Yoga is commonly called an eight-limbed system. Each ‘limb’ builds on the previous one to bring the practitioner closer to enlightenment. Let’s leave that last part alone for now, though. Enlightenment is very faith-specific, but not every single step on the way there is so. There is a bedrock of principles universally accepted by practically every faith system, and that is where yoga starts.
The eight limbs are:
1. The five yamas (abstentions)
2. The five niyamas (observances)
3. Asana (poses; the body workout part of yoga)
4. Pranayama (breathwork; literally ‘extension of life’)
5. Pratyahara (abstraction, withdrawal of the senses)
6. Dharana (concentration)
7. Dhyana (meditation)
8. Samadhi (liberation, state of nonduality)
So we see that one is supposed to learn and implement certain principles before even setting foot in a yoga class. Tomorrow we’ll see what these principles are, and test them for Western compatibility.
